Admission Requirements

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at The University of Western Ontario coordinates the admission process with each of the graduate programs selecting and admitting prospective students to graduate study. Please review this information to ensure you are prepared with the knowledge necessary to succeed in your educational pursuits.

Master of Science

Admission to the M.Sc. program requires a four-year, Bachelor of Science Honours degree in chemistry, or equivalent, from a recognized university, college, or insitutute. For applicants who have not yet been conferred the B.Sc. degree, all program requirements must be completed prior to the start of the M.Sc. studies.

Domestic students require an overall average of 75% (B+) or higher in the last two years is required (special cases can sometimes be made for those with less 75%). Other requirements exist for international students: please see below for full details.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires an M.Sc. degree in chemistry, or equivalent, from a recognized university, college, or insitutute. For applicants who have not yet been conferred the M.Sc. degree, all program requirements must be completed prior to the start of the Ph.D. studies.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English must furnish evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language by a satisfactory achievement within the last two years in one of the following:

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): The minimum acceptable score for chemistry is 90, with no individual score below 20 for the internet based version; 230 for the standard electronic version; or 570 for the paper and pencil version, although some programs require a higher minimum score. [Western's TOEFL ID is 0984].
The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) of the British Council: The minimum acceptable score for chemistry is 7 out of 9. The IELTS is offered in 6 test centres in the US and 3 in Canada.
The Michigan English Language Assessment Battery: (MELAB) of the University of Michigan. Students must have at least 80 on each of the sections and an overall score of at least 85. Arrangements to write MELAB may be made via www.lsa.umich.edu/eli/melab2.htm.
The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment: The minimum acceptable score is 60. The CAEL Assessment is offered in several countries throughout the world as well as Canada.

Students who are required to present evidence of proficiency in English must make their own arrangements to write the TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB or CAEL and to have the official results sent directly to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by the testing agency.

Other formal evidence of graduate level proficiency in English (as determined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) may be considered in lieu of these test scores. For the French and Spanish programs only, evidence of proficiency in English is a degree requirement but not a requirement for admission.